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Topic: PFR-Knee pain-Who has had this? (Read 122779 times)

Hello everybody,I am so sorry for not posting in sometime. Work has been dragging me down. (And since I do not post what I do for a living I will not get into this). The only thing I will tell you is that I work in a "sick" building. It is old and everyone gets sick (I have had more illnesses this year than in the past 4-5 years combined).I have dedicated this year to helping others and giving back to my community. With this in mind I have joined an incredible organization. Flags4fallen (check them out on FaceBook). I got involved in January. I ran a half marathon in February (Colchester Half) for a fallen US soldier. The course, under normal circumstances, is very difficult (possible snow, heavy winds, and hills, hills, and more hills). This year there was no snow just winds and hills. Carrying a USA flag against the winds was challenging. Since there was no shirt nor medal I had a shirt made. It had the picture of Staff SGT Brandon A Augustus on it. When I arrived at the race everyone was thanking me for running on behalf of a fallen soldier and his family. Current and former military members talked with me and people were taking me picture (I did not understand why). When we started running I had a plan (no I did not practice running with a flag) to lean the flag pole against my shoulder and keep my arm bent at a 45 degree angle. I used the other hand to support the flag pole near the base. (This proved to be comfortable and I ran the entire 13.1 miles like this).Along the course people would ask if I was tired or needed a break. Some military members asked if I needed to pass the flag and they would carry it. (I think they wanted to be a part of my journey). Other runners around me would say "you can not let the guy with the flag beat you" or "you need to keep up with the guy with the flag." This was funny since I never considered myself a fast runner.As I was approaching the final mile (and final hill) I was running out of energy. I kept on pushing through. I crossed the finish line in just over 2 hours and 4 minutes (taking off over 6 minutes from last year). This was a best time for me at Colchester.Before Colchester Half I ran in my running club's fun run The King of Pain. It is a 10 mile hilly course. I have never run the entire 10 miles. I have never finished the 10 miles without walking 3 times. I finished with walking only once (0.1 of a mile). And finished in about 1:34:00 (9:40 pace). I took off 28 minutes from the previous year (and set a PR for 10 mile run).I have been working on my speed (treadmill). I am up to about 8 miles in 1 hour. Along with this my stride has opened up so I am becoming a more efficient runner. I am running and walking almost everyday.In March I ran the Bolton 5 Mile Road Race (very hilly...do you see a theme for my races?) with a friend who had MS. She wanted to run Bolton but was scared to run this course alone. She tried to train for Bolton, but the weather and her MS did not allow her to train much. She was looking for a 13 minute per mile pace. Since this was the third year running this course I was able to tell her what was coming up and allow her to modify our run when needed (increase pace, decrease pace, walk, or take a break). We finished the 5 miles in 1 hour (12 minute per mile pace). I was thrilled to be part of this.April 1 I ran a half marathon with my wife (Savin Rock Half). She is coming off an injury and did not train for this run. Along with this the wind (17 mph with gusts 25 mph) and some hills would not make this an easy course. My wife had no set time. Have fun and do not get injured. Running into the winds, and running uphill into the winds, made the race difficult. My wife handled the course like a champion. She did not get down on herself because of the difficulty. She kept her intervals going, hydrated, and ate when planned. It was not her best time but considering the conditions her 12:02 pace was very respectful time.Today my son and me ran a 5K. My son is getting over a cold and is all congested. With a moderate hilly 5K and heavy winds he had difficulty breathing. We took it slow and steady. I was hoping for under 42 minutes. He let me push him the final mile. 36:26 (11:44 pace) was our time. We celebrated by going out to breakfast at one of his favorite dinners.At the end of the race the race director held a raffle. I never win anything during these raffles. I was hoping to get an entry into one of the half marathons for next year. When they called out the number for Hogsback Half (in September) I won. So I added another race to my calendar.I hope your Saturday was eventful....Take care,Mr. F

Hello everybody,I had some vacation time so I took this week off of work. When I do not work my insomnia kicks in. I decided that I would go for long walks (or multiple long walks) everyday to help me sleep. Also I will not drive my wife crazy. (During a mini blizzard she kicked me out of the house and told me I had to go for a walk because my pacing was driving her crazy).Before I get into my walking e past week I want to give you some detail to a back story that comes back to impact the family this week. When I first started running, after my third 5k, my son said I would run a half marathon. My wife and I laughed and thought this is funny. I can barley make it through 3.1 miles. I wanted to run a 10k but I could not make it through mile 4. Months went by and I took part in a 10k and started training for a 10 mile road race. Again my son said you will be running a half marathon within several months. Well 3 months later I ran my first half marathon. My son said see, what did I tell you. Several months later he told me I would run a marathon. This time I laughed and said you are crazy. I just started running half marathons. I have no plans to run a marathon. Several months later I was approached by a friend to run a marathon with him. In 2015 I ran the New York City marathon.Forward into 2016 and my son says you will run an ultra. This time I did not laugh at him. I did not say he was crazy. I responded I am not planning on participating in one soon. He smiled and said you see you are going to run an ultra (an ultra is at least 31 miles, or 50k). All of 2016 went by and he kept telling me within a year you will take part in an ultra.Bridging the story back to this week, I went out walking in our town and the town next to us. I would walk for 3, 4, 5, or over 6 hours at a time. I brought out the old hydration backpack, salt stick, Gus, and granola. I never planned where I would walk. I would decide as I walked. This way every walk was different and spontaneous. After my week of walking was up I checked my miles. I had (as of 2:10 pm) 183.4 miles. Now this number might seem random. It is not. It is something I never thought I would do. If you divide 183.4 by 7 you get 26.2. This means I averaged a marathon (in distance) per day for 7 consecutive days. I reached out to a running friend of mine. She does insane events, trail runs, 31, 50, or 62 mile runs. I asked her about ultras in our area and other states. I am looking for one that is not trails. I do not need a root, rock, or tree branch destroying my knees. She told me about two. One in our state and another about a 6 hour drive. Since I do not want added expenses I figured looking into our state's ultra.One issue right off. I have a half marathon on the day of the ultra. How am I going to get out of this? A company is paying for this event. I have a friend working on getting me out of this half. The next issue...would there be trails or is it paved? This is the only paved ultra. Finally what is the time limit? If it is under 8 hours I cannot take part in this event. Total time for the 50K 12 hours. If all goes well I will be able to sign up for my first ultra on Monday.This got me thinking. I read somewhere that less than 1 percent of the population runs a marathon. What percent runs an ultra? And to add to this, what percent runs an ultra and a marathon? (How about in the same year? I will be running a marathon in October.)I hope your week was filled with exercise like mine. Take care,Mr. FPS-after I click on post and shut down my computer I am going to sleep. My body needs the rest. Happy Passover and Happy Easter

Hello everybody,Well over my vacation time I walked the distance of 7 marathons in 7 days. Since then I have been slowing down my walks, and runs, to allow my body to recover. During this time I wanted to sign up for my first ultra. I emailed a friend. She gave me the run down on too many ultras. Almost all of them are on trails. I do not want a trail ultra. Knowing my luck at the very end of the race I will trip and fall on the smallest item and there will go my entire year. She did mention one ultra that is paved. I was excited. An ultra on paved roads. What state is it in? Wait, it is in our state, cool. When is it? April 30. Oh well maybe next year. I have a half marathon that day. And an organization is paying my fee. I decided to call the person in-charge of my group. She was able to get in-touch with the person processing the paperwork. The paperwork has not been submitted yet. So my entry was not paid. On Thursday I signed up for my first Ultra.I will be walking 31 miles on April 30. Along with this I am dedicating this year to SSGT Brandon A Augustus. He is the fallen soldier whom I ran the Colchester Half Marathon for. His spirit and determination will be with me on this race too. A week after the ultra I have back to back half marathons. One was suppose to be a date run, but my wife is injured. So I will be running all alone on Saturday. On Sunday I will be running an extremely hilly half marathon with my son.So this is what is new and exciting with me. I am looking forward to coaching the couch to 5K beginning running group on Saturday (we are a week into our training). Take care and keep moving,Mr. F

Hello Everybody,Sorry its been some time since my last post. I have kept this post to tell about my knees and what I have been going through. Well this year has been very trying (to say the least). My wife has been dealing with 2 issues. One has been an issue we have been dealing with for many years and the other has been since December (and we did not know this).I am going to start with the December issue. In December we run in a race that raises funds for the homeless and needy. The money goes directly to its youth center, counseling, and housing. All the people who work there are volunteers. It is a fantastic cause. During our 5K my wife ran across a patch of black ice and fell. She broke a finger when she landed on her hand. I did not see the fall so I had no idea how she landed. She told me that she braced her fall by putting her hand down.Months later her back was killing her. She could not get comfortable. The pain kept her up all night, limited her diet (eating for survival), and everyday chores were not happening. She went to multiple doctors and physical therapists. Nothing was helping. We figured she might need to have an operation.One of my wife's friend, a fellow runner, suggested one more person. Her friend had a similar issue and saw a chiropractor. My wife went to this practice. The doctors checked her out, took x-rays, and placed her with a physical therapist. What was the issue? When she feel at the race she dis-aligned her hips. Since her hips were off that caused the other issues (pain and inability to move). Over several months the team were able to align her hips.Once that issue was taken care of we could move on to her other issue. This was is more, what can I say, not for everyone. Those who know me know why she had an operation. All I can say is that she does not look like she had major surgery impacting major organs. She is less than a week post-op walking around. She is resting and recovering and we are grateful for this. Take care,Mr.F

Hello Everybody,Well on a more positive note (if you read the post before this one) I accomplished something I thought I would never do. Yes this has to deal with running (well walking).My post on April 21, 2017 informed you about my walking the average of 7 marathons in 7 days. So after all of this I figured I was ready for an ultra (this is a race of at least 31 miles). The only problem is that I have no idea where any ultras take place and if there are any on paved roads (the ultras I have heard about are all trail ultras..not for my first).A back story....When I first started running (well more walking than running) my son told me I would take part in a 10k within 6 months. I laughed at him. 4 months later I took part in a 10K. When I was training for a 10 mile road race he told me I would run a half with 5 months of this. Again I laughed. 3 months later I ran/walked my first half. Then he said I would run a marathon within 2 years. I laughed at him. 1 year and 9 months later I ran NY City Marathon. He said I would take part in an ultra in 1 year. This time I did not laugh, I said you never know. 1 year and 5 months later I took part in my first ultra.So I called a friend who runs insane races (31, 40, 50, 62, 80, and 100 miles) and asked her if she knew of any ultras coming up. All were out of state and on trails. I told her I needed something paved. She hesitated and said Jack Bristol. It is in our state and paved. It is in 2 weeks. I was excited. No travel and paved. Then I realized I had a prior engagement with a running group on the same day. They paid for my entry fee. I did not want to pay for a race I could not run (a half). I contacted the president of our organization. She contacted the race director. We found out that our group is the last payment they accept so runners can join last minute. I was able to withdraw from the half without paying for the race.I signed up for the ultra. I contacted the race director to tell him about my medical conditions and race history. I would be walking the 50K (31 miles). He had never had a walker and never had a disabled athlete. He said I could start with the 50 mile group. (This would give me an extra hour- 13 hours to complete the ultra). I had no idea how long I would need so I was thrilled for the extra hour.With all the walking I did over my vacation I was averaging about 14 minutes per mile. I was happy with this pace. If I could keep this pace up over 31 miles it would take me less than 8 hours. If I stopped for food, water, restroom, etc. it would take around 8 hours. So my goal was to finish the race in less than 8 hours. My wife said I would need less than 7 hours. My son said I would need 6 hours. I thought my son was crazy, but I did not say anything since all of his predictions about me running have come true.The ultra took place in a small town. It was beautiful. We were running, and walking, loops around a lake. (With my training I try to incorporate loops so if this occurs I will not get distracted). It was cold, overcast, and windy. For some unknown reasons my knees were cooperating that day.I figure I would not layer up and have to take off clothing when walking. I went with the basics (running shoes, comfortable running socks, tech shirt/shorts/underwear, gloves, and a hydration backpack). I had saltstick, Gu, and music with me. I arrived early to take part in the pre-race festivities. I looked around and there was some serious competition. I felt somewhat out of place looking at the other runners. But then I realized I was starting with the serious athletes. These are the people who run 50-100 miles. We were called to the starting line for directions about the race, aid stations, course, and other minor details. At this point I noticed several other runners showing up (my friends taking part in the 50K). The race director yelled out runners get ready, get set, and go.I was near the middle of the pack and to the right. I wanted the other runners to pass me with no problem. I started off my 31 mile journey. I was walking and getting into my stride. I had my music going (low volume and only one ear-buds work). Runners were saying "you are smart not wasting your energy early on". I kept on explaining I am a disabled athlete walking the 50K. When people heard about what I was trying to accomplish they kept cheering me on.Around mile 1 I had 3 songs I loved playing on my ipod. I figured these 3 songs were about 15 minutes. This would be about 1 mile for me. I watched as the runners passed me and we encouraged each other. The first leg was a 2.2 mile out and back loop. I figured I would be passed by the front of the pack before mile 1. When I made it to mile 1 without being passed I started to worry. Was I going out hot or were the runners holding back? I did not check my watch because it was early and I did not want to get up my hopes.I made it to the turn around and some runners were behind me. I thought this was odd since I walk 14 minute miles. Where they conserving their energy? I kept on moving. At this point I was singing along and I think the other runners were getting tired of hearing the same songs. I kept on moving, getting past the hills and close to the beginning of the course. If my time was correct the 50K (31 mile) group should be starting when I get close to the timing mats. I moved over to my right so I would not interfere with the other groups start. It was to my surprise that I crossed the timing mats and the 50K group were not given their instructions. I saw my friends, stopped and took pictures, and talked. Their group did not start. Surprising.At this point I dropped a glove (it warmed up and I took my gloves off). It was not far from me so I lost seconds retrieving my lost item. I stopped and used the restroom. Oddly enough this would be my only restroom break. I was 5 miles in and heard the start of the 50K. I figured that I would be passed sometime during mile 8.At this point I caught up to another runner and I started to talk with him. He was in a similar profession as me. We talked about our experiences and where we are working. He traveled from NY to take part in this event. He was surprised that I would be walking the 50 miles, but I had a fantastic pace. I told him my story and that I was walking the 31 miles. I could not believe someone would think 14 minute miles were so great. We stayed together for 3 miles. Sometimes he would run faster, but then his pace would get the better of him. At one point I was leading and then he would catch me.At mile 8 we parted ways. He had to use the restroom and eat at the aid station. I was self-sufficient. The only items I got at the aid stations were sports drink and snacks. Since I was in mile 8 I was waiting to be passed. I was enjoying my first lap around the lake. I would stop and take pictures. At every hour I would post about what mile I was at (along with a picture). I did not want my wife to worry.Well I made it to mile 9 without being passed. I was surprised. I could see across the lake and noticed some runners. I could estimate what mile they were at. I had no idea where the first person was for the 31 mile group.I was enjoying the scenery and making mental notes. This way I could determine where I was on the course for the loops to come. When I made it to mile 10 without being passed I was confused. Was I moving this fast or were the other runners slowing down? I would not look at my watch. I wanted to keep my pace without worrying about time. I was into my music.Well I hit mile 11 and shortly after I was passed by the first pack of 31 mile runners. I was impressed. I held them off for about 3 miles. At this point I could feel a slight pain in my left ankle. For some reason I always find away to hurt my left ankle before I major event. This occurred with the NY City Marathon, Jack Bristol, and I will be running another marathon in mid October (and yes I injured the same ankle).During this point I was moving and feeling good. Mentally I was in the race. I was taking with people and loving the weather and scenery.Miles 11-15 were one big blur. I was posting every hour so my wife would know what is going on and others could follow me. I was in my zone.Miles 16-18 were less fun. The loops were getting to me and more people were passing me. I was singing and trying to stay focused. When people were passing me I kept hearing are you sure he is walking and he has a fast pace? If 14 minutes is fast than yes my pace is fast.I hit the hilly areas and was heading back to the timing mats. The race director could see my times as I crossed the mat and he said are you sure he is walking? This was the second time he said this to me. I was nearing mile 21. Why is this mile so important. At mile 21 my ankle was killing me. I was not sure if I wanted to continue. Also for the next 3 miles I was walking by myself. I started to mentally zone out. I was not focused. I was not paying attention to my breathing nor pace. I could not tell where I was on the course and what mile I was at. I hit the wall and was not able to tell what was happening. I was lost and confused.During mile 24 it occurred. If this did not happen I do not know if I was going to finish the race or be DQed or got lost. It started to rain. The cool weather and cold rain woke me up. I was able to figure out where I was on the course. I was able to regain my concentration and drive. Over the next several miles I was back on my pace and I was focusing on my breathing. And yes I was posting so my wife and friends could follow me. (Oh, I was taking saltstick and Gu on the hour). I did not dehydrate nor need much food. As for fluids I had 70 ounces of water.)The one time I looked at my watch was mile 26.2 to see my marathon time. It was off (from NY City) but in NY I was running). Again I made it to the timing mats to hear are you sure he is walking.During mile 24 I ended up walking with a group of 50 milers. I started up a conversation. There was one female athlete who we ended up talking. We were talking about life, running, and our families. This made the time go by faster. I was great-full for this time.As we approached my final turn around I thank everyone for their time and conversation. The group told me I could not turn around since they were pacing off of me. I was confused. I said you are pacing off of me? What are you running 14-15 minute miles? They laughed and said you are much faster than that. I cut them off and told them I did not want to know my pace. They were asking if I would do one more lap around the lake. I told them I trained up to 27 miles. 31 miles is pushing it. Adding another 7 miles would destroy me. They understood and thanked me.As I turned back for my final 1.9 miles I was thinking about my friends who were running this race. They are all strong runners. I thought one would have passed me by now. My pace could be faster than I thought.I was walking up and down the hills. Then around a corner (where I questioned if I could go on because of ankle pain). I was pushing myself on the long stretch repeating one more step, thinking about my mentor and guide (saying suck it up buttercup...which is my motivational cry), and thinking I have about 1 mile to go. I was amazed that I could accomplish this event with only 2 weeks of training (well I never backed off of my marathon training). I was within half a mile and could see the finishing mats. At this point I could not believe I was finishing the race. I have dedicated this race year to a fallen soldier. His family lives in another state. So they could not see me finish. They were following me through social media. I know his spirit was helping me this day.As I approached the finishing line my name was called out. I crossed the finishing line and yelled what has become my signature finish. GO ACHILLES, GO DISABLED ATHLETES, GO ACHILLES. The race director got in his final are you sure you walked the entire race? I said yes. I paced at 14 minute miles when I was training. He told me you were not even close to 14 minute miles. You finished faster than a lot of runners. He was impressed to have a disabled athlete who was a walker finish with a fast time.So what was my time? Remember I wanted sub 8 hours, my wife figured around 7 hours, and my son said 6 hours. My pace was 12 and a half minutes (12:30) per mile. Overall time 6 hours 29 minutes 45 seconds. My son was the closest to guessing the correct time.It was an amazing event. I would put this as my favorite event of all. (Yes even better than NY City Marathon). It is amazing what the human body can accomplish if you let it.Take care,Mr.F

PS-I will be posting soon about my summer of walking and how many miles I was able to get in (you will not believe me)

Hello everybody,Sorry for not posting in several days. I have been dealing with unrelated health issues. I have had issues with my throat and larynx. I went to the doctor and something showed up on my x-rays. Now I am seeing 3 doctors for 2 issues. None of which have been identified. I will post at a later date.I did run a half today. It was cold and overcast. My left knee did not cooperate. Along with this I am dealing with 3 health issues. I was hoping for a 2 hour half. (Very hilly course). I finished with a time of 1:58:26. I finished in first place in the PC category. What is the prize? A piggy skully. Very cool. One of my favorite finishing prizes.

Hello everybody,Since the beginning of August this has not been a good year for me. I have had several medical issues and some scary times. In August I injured my left ankle and it took a good 6 weeks to recover. At the end of August until mid October I was dealing with 2 other issues. For almost 6 weeks I had no, to limited ability, to talk. Along with this a lump was discovered when I went in for a x-ray. (It was not cancer nor a tumor, but something else that impacted my overall health). Along with this I was dealing with GI issues. After working with 4 doctors we finally have everything under control.As for work, I have an entirely new administrative team this year. They started at the end of August. So we have been getting to know each other, implementing new policies/protocols/procedures, and I had my first evaluation and performance review. Somewhat stressful time.As for running, intervals, and walking I am getting out daily. Since my last post I took part in the Hartford Marathon. Since I have been walking an insane amount of miles this year, and my health issues, I waited until a month out to start training. I have been researching Jeff Galloway and what intervals he suggests. I trained with a 1 minute run and 30 second walk. The best I got was 10 minute miles (for 20 miles). Which for me was great (I have never done this distance with such speed.On race day I had my luck guide Mike with me (every time we run together I set a new PR). His best marathon time was 4:29:00. So our goal was to beat this time. I was hoping for a 4:30:00 (taking into account stopping at every aid station and 2 bathroom breaks).When running the marathon the athletes would hear my phone beep at the minute mark and at the 30 second mark letting me know when to run and when to walk. Other runners were confused by what I was doing. They would ask does intervals really work? I responded with ask me again in 5 minutes. (At this point they were way behind me). At one point I found my rabbit (a fast runner you pace off of). I caught up to him and we talked for about a mile or two. I could tell he was not a fan of intervals nor the beeps. I had to stop and use the restroom and he kept moving forward. Again I caught up to him. I could see him turn his head as he heard the beeps (no amused). We ran together for several more miles until I needed to stop and used the restroom again. He kept moving forward. For the third time I caught up to him. As he heard the beeps he turned his head and I could hear him cursing me out in his head. (He was not thrilled to see me again). This time I passed him and left him behind.(Oh I forgot to mention at mile 4 one of my knees was not cooperating. I had to modify my stride. By mile 18 I was nearly in tears and contemplating DQing myself. My time is what kept me motivated. By mile 21 I was questioning why I would continue the race. By mile 23 I was back in it.)So we are in the final 2 miles and I am starting to feel the day catching up to me. I kept motivating myself by thinking about beating the 4:25:00 group (we started in-front of this group so we would know if we had a new PR). I would not allow Mike to tell me the time.We are now crossing a bridge and entering the capital. Less than 1.5 miles. We have to run up a hill (slowing down the pace), pass main street (feeling the love and positive vibes from the crowd), and the final half mile.My guide says lets kick. I turn to him and say Mike I have no kick. He tells me the entire marathon was a kick. I am confused. He tells me thanks for the new PR. Oh, and by the way, you will be taking over a hour off your PR time. At this point we are close to the end of the run. I hear my name being called over the speakers. One more left and we are almost there. I can see the clock and almost stop. No way can this be my time...Somewhere I find my kick and take off. Mike is running step by step with me. We look up at the clock and cross the finish line. This is going to be close. Did we do it? We have to wait for the official results.When I intervalled the NY City Marathon in 2015 my ultimate goal was to one day run a sun 4:15:00 marathon. Now we would have to go to the results tent to find out. I made it maybe 15 feet before my left knee said enough. Mike grabbed some water and I took my ibuprofen. After 10-15 minutes I was good to go.We made it to the results tent. I typed in my bib number and my official time came up. 4:14:55 (I beat 4:15:00). On top of this I took off 1:02:38 from my previous marathon (this time was a BQ so I applied for the Boston Marathon). It was a good day.Today I ran in a local 5K. One of the running clubs I belong to (and I am on the board) puts it on. I had a different guide today. My ultimate goal was a sub 24 minute 5K. The weather was cold, overcast, and minor breeze. For everyone else it was the perfect running day.For me one of my knees did not want to cooperate. I ran the entire race (if I would have walked I would not start running the rest of the race). I modified my stride and kept thinking just one more step. The course was flat so you can push your pace. I was saving some energy to the end.Around 2.6 miles in you end up running on a trail. This was great for me. I took off and pushed my pace. My guide was pushing me too. She kept increasing her pace so I would go faster.As we approached the final turn I could hear the crowd yelling. I was getting closer to seeing the time. I would not get the PR that I wanted. I did PR as I crossed the finish line (the strange thing is that I did not realized I PRed today). I finished with a time of 24:31 (7:55 pace).When I got home a friend posted his time and pace. He finished behind me and that is when I realized that I have a new PR. My first sub 8 minute 5K. I am thrilled. (My son came in 2nd place in his age group).I hope you are doing well. Take care,Mr. F

Hello everybody,Sorry for not posting in sometime. I have been busy with work and training. Since the time change I am up before the sun and home after sun sets running on the streets and sidewalks has become dangerous. So I have been hitting the gym using the treadmill (which I call the dreadmill). I have been putting some insane miles (walking and running). 142 miles, 168 miles, and 145 miles (and counting) over the past 3 weeks. 572 miles in November. I have been working on my time and distance over these 3 weeks. I have gotten consistent. I am running about 8 minute miles. This is for my runs ranging 8-20 miles. It is amazing. I have been talking with my running friends that do insane races (50,62, and/or 100 mile races). Several are running at Pineland in 2018. I am not sure I can make this event. So I felt inspired and signed up for my first 50 mile race. Yes you read it. I will be taking on the Jack Bristol 50 Mile Ultra in April 2018. I have a friend who will be running, and walking, with me. (I did my first ultra here last year...31 miles).I am feeling excited, inspired,motivated, and a little nervous.I hope you have a fantastic weekend...Take care,Mr. F

My post today will be short. I am still in disbelief that I was able to reach what I did today.

I started off 2017 with a modest running/walking goal. 2 months in and I increased my goal. By April I had to adjust my goal again. In June I changed my goal to what I thought would be almost impossible to obtain. Reaching this would push me both mentally and physically. I would plan and put together my runs/walks based on what I was capable of achieving that day.

Well today I hit and surpassed what I thought earlier in the year would be impossible. Today I changed my goal again. Pushing my body to its limits. He is to reaching the impossible and pushing your limits.